DOCSLIB.ORG

Chapter Four

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chapter Four chapter four THE FOURTH CRUSADE Steven Runciman wrote “There was never a greater crime against humanity than the Fourth Crusade”.1 The claim might well be an exaggeration but there is no doubt that it ranks very high on the list. The Fourth Crusade was proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1198, in an attempt to restore the old Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. The proclamation was especially successful in France, thanks to the efforts of a priest called Fulk of Neuilly. An agreement was reached with the Venetians to transport and feed an army of 4,500 knights, 9,000 squires and 20,000 footsoldiers and to provide 50 warships.2 With no more than 11,000 men (but no reduction in the price by the Venetians), the fleet set sail in October 1202 and first recaptured Zara on the Dalmatian coast (despite the objections to attacking a Christian city—yet attacking Zara was very little compared to the later sack of Constantinople). Innocent III was against the taking of Zara and had written to the crusading army urging them to avoid all attacks on Christian cities. He excommunicated the whole army when they did not listen to his warnings, although the French and Germans managed to have the excommunication lifted, and returned to the fold of the church. The army spent the winter of 1202–1203 in Zara. An unexpected turn of events came with the proposal to restore the rightful emperor of Byzantium to his throne—Alexius IV Angelus had been blinded and imprisoned by his own brother Alexius III. He escaped from prison and offered the crusading army just about every- thing in return for his throne—the union of the Orthodox with the Roman Catholic Church, enormous sums of money for both the army and for Venice, and 10,000 soldiers once he was ruling again. There was further opposition to attacking a Christian city with a Christian 1 Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades 3—The Kingdom of Acre (Cambridge 1954), 130. 2 Cf. Hans Eberhard Mayer, The Crusades (Oxford 1988, translated from German original Stuttgart 1965), 198. 186 the fourth crusade 2 army, although Mayer states that one of the ways the objections of the common soldier were overcome was “the descriptions of the unbe- lievable quantity of relics which were to be found in Constantinople”. The reason for changing the objective of the Fourth Crusade from Egypt (and then the Holy Land) to Constantinople will probably never be definitively known. It could have been what Mayer describes as “chance”, i.e. one event leading to another, or it could have been a premeditated plan from the beginning. Either way, the first attacks in summer 2003 caused Alexius III to flee, thus restoring Alexius IV to his throne, together with his father Isaac II Angelus, although they were not popular and were both killed in January 1204. The city finally fell to the crusaders in April 1204, and for three days there was little more than plunder and killing to describe. Oaths had been sworn to the effect that the soldiers could only take items of lesser value as plunder, churches and priests would be respected and women would not be raped; the oaths were thrown to the wind in the face of so much temptation. As Mayer states, “for the relic hunter it was the chance of a lifetime”.3 Relics had been taken back from previous crusades, but they mainly consisted of stones and soil from the holy places in and around Jerusalem: Gethsemane, Calvary, the Holy Sepulchre, the tomb of Lazarus and Bethlehem. A piece of the true cross was taken to Genoa along with the plate on which John the Baptist’s head had been placed, while Venice acquired the body of Saint Nicholas and a rock from which Christ preached.4 The defenders of Constantinople carried some amazing relics into battle; an icon of Mary and the apostles, with a tooth Jesus lost as a child, a piece of the lance used to pierce his side on the cross, part of the Shroud and and relics from thirty martyrs.5 The relics did not have the desired effect, as they were captured in battle by a French knight, Peter of Bracieux. One of the main eyewitness accounts of the conquest and sacking of Constantinople in 1204 hascomedowntousintheformofthe account by a French knight, Robert de Clari, preserved in one sole manuscript in the Royal Library of Copenhagen. De Clari mentions 3 Hans Eberhard Mayer, The Crusades (Oxford 1988, translated from German origi- nal Stuttgart 1965), 203. 4 Jonathan Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople (London 2004), 52–53. 5 Cf. Alfred J. Andrea, Contemporary Sources for the Fourth Crusade (Leiden 2000), 302..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Fourth Crusade Was No Different
    Coastal Carolina University CCU Digital Commons Honors College and Center for Interdisciplinary Honors Theses Studies Fall 12-15-2016 The ourF th Crusade: An Analysis of Sacred Duty ‌ Dale Robinson Coastal Carolina University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/honors-theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Robinson, Dale, "The ourF th Crusade: An Analysis of Sacred Duty "‌ (2016). Honors Theses. 4. https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/honors-theses/4 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College and Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at CCU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of CCU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Robinson 1 The crusades were a Christian enterprise. They were proclaimed in the name of God for the service of the church. Religion was the thread which bound crusaders together and united them in a single holy cause. When crusaders set out for a holy war they took a vow not to their feudal lord or king, but to God. The Fourth Crusade was no different. Proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1201, it was intended to recover Christian control of the Levant after the failure of past endeavors. Crusading vows were exchanged for indulgences absolving all sins on behalf of the church. Christianity tied crusaders to the cause. That thread gradually came unwound as Innocent’s crusade progressed, however. Pope Innocent III preached the Fourth Crusade as another attempt to secure Christian control of the Holy Land after the failures of previous crusades.
    [Show full text]
  • Reaction to the Siege of Zadar in Western Christendom
    Vanja Burić REACTION TO THE SIEGE OF ZADAR IN WESTERN CHRISTENDOM MA Thesis in Medieval Studies CEU eTD Collection Central European University Budapest May 2015 REACTION TO THE SIEGE OF ZADAR IN WESTERN CHRISTENDOM by Vanja Burić (Croatia) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Medieval Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ Chair, Examination Committee ____________________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________________ Examiner ____________________________________________ Examiner Budapest CEU eTD Collection May 2015 i REACTION TO THE SIEGE OF ZADAR IN WESTERN CHRISTENDOM by Vanja Burić (Croatia) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Medieval Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ External Reader CEU eTD Collection Budapest May 2015 ii REACTION TO THE SIEGE OF ZADAR IN WESTERN CHRISTENDOM by Vanja Burić (Croatia) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Medieval Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ External Supervisor Budapest CEU eTD Collection May 2015 iii I, the undersigned, Vanja Burić, candidate for the MA degree in Medieval Studies, declare herewith that the present thesis is exclusively my own work, based on my research and only such external information as properly credited in notes and bibliography. I declare that no unidentified and illegitimate use was made of the work of others, and no part of the thesis infringes on any person’s or institution’s copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • Finally Seizes France Chapter Eighty-Nine After Timurlane the North of India, the Empire of Timur, the Lands of the Ottoman Turks, Egypt, and 1401-1415
    PART ONE: Renaissances PART TWO: Invasions, Heresies, and Uprisings PART THREE: Catastrophes PART FOUR: Regroupings PART FIVE: Endings PART ONE Renaissances Chapter One Logic and Compromise England, Rome, and the Holy Roman Empire, 1100-1122 Between 1100 and 1122, the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of England both defy the pope, and an Archbishop makes use of Aristotle Chapter Two The Crusader Enemy Byzantium, Venice, and the Crusader Kingdoms, 1100-1138 Between 1100 and 1138, the Emperor of Constantinople and the Crusaders fight against each other Chapter Three Anarchy England, Western Francia, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1120-1139 Between 1120 and 1139, the Count of Anjou becomes King of Jerusalem, the Holy Roman Empress becomes Countess of Anjou, and civil war wrecks England Chapter Four The Lost Homeland China, Dai Viet, and Khmer, 1127-1150 Between 1127 and 1150, the Song are exiled by the Jin, the Dai Viet adopt the Mandate of Heaven, and a Khmer king builds the biggest temple on earth Chapter Five Crusade Resurrected The Turkish and Crusader kingdoms, with visitations from Germany and France, 1128-1149 Between 1128 and 1149, the Muslims unify for a successful jihad, and in response the Christians declare a disastrous crusade Chapter Six Reconquista and Rediscovery The Spanish peninsula, 1134-1146 Between 1134 and 1177, Christian kings, Almoravid warriors, and Almohad caliphs battle on the Spanish peninsula, while more and more Arabic books reach the west Chapter Seven Questions of Authority France and Italy, 1135-1160 Between
    [Show full text]
  • Read Book the Fourth Crusade: and the Sack of Constantinople
    THE FOURTH CRUSADE: AND THE SACK OF CONSTANTINOPLE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Professor Jonathan Phillips | 400 pages | 07 Jun 2005 | Vintage Publishing | 9781844130801 | English | London, United Kingdom The Fourth Crusade: And the Sack of Constantinople PDF Book After the city's sacking, most of the Byzantine Empire's territories were divided up among the Crusaders. Dandolo, who joined the crusade during a public ceremony in the church of San Marco di Venezia , proposed that the crusaders pay their debts by intimidating many of the local ports and towns down the Adriatic, culminating in an attack on the port of Zara in Dalmatia. Boniface of Montferrat , meanwhile, had left the fleet before it sailed from Venice, to visit his cousin Philip of Swabia. It is a fact that a crime was committed here in the city years ago. In order to cover their retreat the Westerners instigated the "Great Fire", which burnt from 19 to 21 August, destroying a large part of Constantinople and leaving an estimated , homeless. Byzantine aristocrats also established a number of small independent splinter states, one of them being the Empire of Nicaea , which would eventually recapture Constantinople in and proclaim the reinstatement of the Empire. Secular Sacred Cross-in-square Domes. As an adult, Rupert has written about numerous battles from the ancient world to the Crusades , military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century, that were organized by western European Christians in response to centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. About ships, horse transports, and galleys delivered the crusading army across the narrow strait, where Alexios III had lined up the Byzantine army in battle formation along the shore, north of the suburb of Galata.
    [Show full text]
  • UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Descending from the Throne: Byzantine Bishops, Ritual and Spaces of Authority Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q80k7ct Author Rose, Justin Richard Publication Date 2017 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Descending from the Throne: Byzantine Bishops, Ritual and Spaces of Authority A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies by Justin Richard Rose December 2017 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Michael Alexander, Co-Chairperson Dr. Sherri Franks Johnson, Co-Chairperson Dr. Sharon E. J. Gerstel Dr. Muhammad Ali Copyright by Justin Richard Rose 2017 The Dissertation of Justin Richard Rose is approved: Committee Co-Chairperson ____________________________________________________________ Committee Co-Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgements Before all else, I give thanks to Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here on earth, I am grateful to my mother, friends and parishioners who have encouraged and supported me throughout this last round of graduate study. And, yes, Mother, this is the last round of graduate study. My experience at the University of California Riverside has been extraordinary. I am especially grateful to Dr. Sherri Franks Johnson for her support and guidance over the last six years. Sherri made my qualifying exam defense a truly positive experience. I am grateful for her continued support even after leaving the UCR faculty for Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. Thanks to the Religious Studies department for the opportunities I have had during my academic study.
    [Show full text]
  • Medieval Mediterranean Influence in the Treasury of San Marco Claire
    Circular Inspirations: Medieval Mediterranean Influence in the Treasury of San Marco Claire Rasmussen Thesis Submitted to the Department of Art For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts 2019 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. Introduction………………………...………………………………………….3 II. Myths……………………………………………………………………….....9 a. Historical Myths…………………………………………………………...9 b. Treasury Myths…………………………………………………………..28 III. Mediums and Materials………………………………………………………34 IV. Mergings……………………………………………………………………..38 a. Shared Taste……………………………………………………………...40 i. Global Networks…………………………………………………40 ii. Byzantine Influence……………………………………………...55 b. Unique Taste……………………………………………………………..60 V. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...68 VI. Appendix………………………………………………………………….….73 VII. List of Figures………………………………………………………………..93 VIII. Works Cited…………………………………………………...……………104 3 I. Introduction In the Treasury of San Marco, there is an object of three parts (Figure 1). Its largest section piece of transparent crystal, carved into the shape of a grotto. Inside this temple is a metal figurine of Mary, her hands outstretched. At the bottom, the crystal grotto is fixed to a Byzantine crown decorated with enamels. Each part originated from a dramatically different time and place. The crystal was either carved in Imperial Rome prior to the fourth century or in 9th or 10th century Cairo at the time of the Fatimid dynasty. The figure of Mary is from thirteenth century Venice, and the votive crown is Byzantine, made by craftsmen in the 8th or 9th century. The object resembles a Frankenstein’s monster of a sculpture, an amalgamation of pieces fused together that were meant to used apart. But to call it a Frankenstein would be to suggest that the object’s parts are wildly mismatched and clumsily sewn together, and is to dismiss the beauty of the crystal grotto, for each of its individual components is finely made: the crystal is intricately carved, the figure of Mary elegant, and the crown vivid and colorful.
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc.CRUSADING and MATRIMONY in the DYNASTIC
    Byzantion Nea Hellás ISSN: 0716-2138 [email protected] Universidad de Chile Chile BARKER, JOHN W. CRUSADING AND MATRIMONY IN THE DYNASTIC POLICIES OF MONTFERRAT AND SAVOY Byzantion Nea Hellás, núm. 36, 2017, pp. 157-183 Universidad de Chile Santiago, Chile Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=363855434009 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative BYZANTION NEA HELLÁS Nº 36 - 2017: 157 / 183 CRUSADING AND MATRIMONY IN THE DYNASTIC POLICIES OF MONTFERRAT AND SAVOY JOHN W. BARKER UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON. U.S.A. Abstract: The uses of matrimony have always been standard practices for dynastic advancement through the ages. A perfect case study involves two important Italian families whose machinations had local implications and widespread international extensions. Their competitions are given particular point by the fact that one of the two families, the House of Savoy, was destined to become the dynasty around which the Modern State of Italy was created. This essay is, in part, a study in dynastic genealogies. But it is also a reminder of the wide impact of the crusading movements, beyond military operations and the creation of ephemeral Latin States in the Holy Land. Keywords: Matrimony, Crusading, Montferrat, Savoy, Levant. CRUZADA Y MATRIMONIO EN LAS POLÍTICAS DINÁSTICAS DE MONTFERRATO Y SABOYA Resumen: Los usos del matrimonio siempre han sido las prácticas estándar de ascenso dinástico a través de los tiempos.
    [Show full text]
  • At the Helm of the Republic: the Origins of Venetian Decline in the Renaissance
    At the Helm of the Republic: The Origins of Venetian Decline in the Renaissance Sean Lee Honors Thesis Submitted to the Department of History, Georgetown University Advisor(s): Professor Jo Ann Moran Cruz Honors Program Chair: Professor Alison Games May 4, 2020 Lee 1 Contents List of Illustrations 2 Acknowledgements 3 Terminology 4 Place Names 5 List of Doges of Venice (1192-1538) 5 Introduction 7 Chapter 1: Constantinople, The Crossroads of Empire 17 Chapter 2: In Times of Peace, Prepare for War 47 Chapter 3: The Blinding of the Lion 74 Conclusion 91 Bibliography 95 Lee 2 List of Illustrations Figure 0.1. Map of the Venetian Terraferma 8 Figure 1.1. Map of the Venetian and Ottoman Empires 20 Figure 1.2. Tomb of the Tiepolo Doges 23 Figure 1.3. Map of the Maritime Empires of Venice and Genoa (1453) 27 Figure 1.4. Map of the Siege of Constantinople (1453) 31 Figure 2.1. Map of the Morea 62 Figure 2.2. Maps of Negroponte 65 Figure 3.1. Positions of Modone and Corone 82 Lee 3 Acknowledgements If brevity is the soul of wit, then I’m afraid you’re in for a long eighty-some page thesis. In all seriousness, I would like to offer a few, quick words of thanks to everybody in the history department who has helped my peers and me through this year long research project. In particular I’d like to thank Professor Ágoston for introducing me to this remarkably rich and complex period of history, of which I have only scratched the surface.
    [Show full text]
  • History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vol 6
    History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire Edward Gibbon, Esq. With notes by the Rev. H. H. Milman Vol. 6 The Crusades. Part I. Preservation Of The Greek Empire. - Numbers, Passage, And Event, Of The Second And Third Crusades. - St. Bernard. - Reign Of Saladin In Egypt And Syria. - His Conquest Of Jerusalem. - Naval Crusades. - Richard The First Of England. - Pope Innocent The Third; And The Fourth And Fifth Crusades. - The Emperor Frederic The Second. - Louis The Ninth Of France; And The Two Last Crusades. - Expulsion Of The Latins Or Franks By The Mamelukes. In a style less grave than that of history, I should perhaps compare the emperor Alexius ^1 to the jackal, who is said to follow the steps, and to devour the leavings, of the lion. Whatever had been his fears and toils in the passage of the first crusade, they were amply recompensed by the subsequent benefits which he derived from the exploits of the Franks. His dexterity and vigilance secured their first conquest of Nice; and from this threatening station the Turks were compelled to evacuate the neighborhood of Constantinople. While the crusaders, with blind valor, advanced into the midland countries of Asia, the crafty Greek improved the favorable occasion when the emirs of the sea-coast were recalled to the standard of the sultan. The Turks were driven from the Isles of Rhodes and Chios: the cities of Ephesu and Smyrna, of Sardes, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, were restored to the empire, which Alexius enlarged from the Hellespont to the banks of the Maeander, and the rocky shores of Pamphylia.
    [Show full text]
  • Crusading at the Edges of Europe 1St Edition Kindle
    CRUSADING AT THE EDGES OF EUROPE 1ST EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Kurt Villads Jensen | 9781317156703 | | | | | Crusading at the Edges of Europe 1st edition PDF Book The resulting Treaty of Devol , although never implemented, forced Bohemond to acknowledge Alexius as his feudal overlord. Published by William Heinemann Limited, London Succession disputes and dynastic rivalries in Europe, failed harvests and heretical outbreaks, all contributed to reducing Latin Europe's concerns for Jerusalem. The Second Crusade achieved little beyond the capture of Lisbon. How would you compare European and Islamic civilizations during this time? Main article: Northern crusades. Urban, E. Three notable exceptions to this were the military orders, warfare and fortifications. More information about this seller Contact this seller 5. Fine in orginal wrappers with minor wear. Saladin lured the force into inhospitable terrain without water supplies, surrounded the Latins with a superior force, and routed them at the Battle of Hattin. On the other side, Usama Ibn Munqidh tells the story of a Frank, recently arrived to the Holy Land, who harassed him about how he was praying when he was in a Templar chapel. Crusades were directed at the liberation of sacred land considered rightfully Christian, whereas Jihad was about rescuing souls. Categories : Crusades Medieval history of the Middle East Catholicism and Islam Catholicism-related controversies Christianity- related controversies Islam-related controversies Judaism-related controversies. Crusade as a term is applied to church-sanctioned and even non- religious campaigns fought for a variety of reasons including the suppression of paganism and heresy , the resolution of conflict among rival Roman Catholic groups, or for political and territorial advantage.
    [Show full text]
  • Complete Abstracts
    ABSTRACTS 51st Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies under the auspices of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies THE POST-1204 BYZANTINE WORLD New Approaches and Novel Directions School of History, Classics & Archaeology The University of Edinburgh 13–15 April 2018 2 Abstracts Adashinskaya, Anna (Central European University, This way, the close following of the texts will help Budapest) one not only to trace the development of the female self during the Later Byzantium, but also to understand how Eloquence as a Gift: The Rhetoric of Piety in Dona- the inclusion of intimate and personal rhetoric into the tion Documents of Three Palaiologan Ladies formal documents enriched and transformed the pious Female patronage, especially in relation to Mt Athos, has acts of the monasteries’ endowments. become a favourite topic for researchers dealing with gender issues in Byzantine history (A.-M. Talbot, S. Ger- Akışık-Karakullukçu, Aslıhan (Bahçeşehir University) stel). However, inexplicably, the personages I am going to deal with have escaped the attention of scholarship (ex- Mehmed II’s Patria of Constantinople cept a short note by A. Laiou) dealing with authors/com- On the eve of 1453, Constantinople’s population was a missioners of literary works. By literary works, I mean fraction of what it had been in late antiquity or before here three lengthy deeds addressed to the Athonite mon- 1204. On the other hand, the late-antique and medieval asteries of Kutlumus (no. 18), Philotheou (Nouveaux Constantinopolitan monuments, constructed out of dura- documents, no. 6), and Xeropotamou (no. 30) by three ble stones, far outlived their builders and the social and educated ladies in 1338, 1376, and 1445, respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • Unit 1C: Church History
    UNIT 1C: CHURCH HISTORY 25: Decline and Metamorphosis A Redefined Papacy Two boats tethered together in a swollen river may jostle and occasionally collide but if the violence of the waters strains and breaks the rope then both will break free of the other and pursue increasingly divergent courses downstream. The analogy is inexact for in the case of the Christian east and Christian west before the Schism the boats themselves are contributing to the turbulence. Nonetheless after the Schism we see Rome and Constantinople drifting further and further part amidst mutual recrimination. Developments in Old Rome however far outstripped those in New Rome. The pace of change and reconstruction, particularly in respect of the papacy, admitted of little if no brake. It all started with the Pope serving during the Great Schism itself, Leo IX. He arranged a political alliance with the Normans, whom he later blessed to invade Britain in 1066. He allowed, if not directly instigated, the breach with Constantinople. He set in motion administrative machinery and a centralised bureaucracy that would deliver on Rome’s long nurtured aspiration to rule and arbitrate across the whole Church. Now that the fractious German Christians had been tamed by a loyalist Frankish expansion, an idealised view of a triumphant Rome reborn strengthened. The history of the papacy was deftly rewritten by the propagandist use of the notoriously forged document: “The Donation of Constantine” which purported to show the first Christian Emperor granting full jurisdictional potency to the papacy via the then Pope Sylvester I in 315. However, even this forgery of 750, used by Pope Stephen II in a jurisdictional dispute with the Emperor in Constantinople, had by now outgrown its usefulness.
    [Show full text]